August 5, 2026 3:24PM # Birthright Citizenship and Youth Crime: Evidence from Germany By [Jeffrey Miron](https://www.cato.org/people/jeffrey-miron) --- SHARE Listen to this article Generated with [ ElevenLabs](https://elevenlabs.io/) AI technology. Loading the [Elevenlabs Text to Speech](https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech) AudioNative Player... ![child german](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/pubs_2x/public/2026-08/german%20child.jpg?itok=TvjFQhff) (Getty Images) [A study](https://www.cato.org/research-briefs-economic-policy/birthright-citizenship-youth-crime) of German immigration reform provides evidence for the debate over [immigrant assimilation](https://siepr.stanford.edu/publications/policy-brief/what-history-tells-us-about-assimilation-immigrants). The study looked at the > Act to Reform Nationality Law … \[under which\] children born in Germany on or after January 1, 2000, automatically acquired citizenship if at least one parent had legally resided in Germany for at least eight years at the time of birth. Researchers found > a sharp decline in offenses committed by non-Germans born after the reform. … \[T\]he actual increase in offenses committed by Germans was smaller than the decline in offenses committed by non-Germans, suggesting that birthright citizenship reduced crime among immigrant children. Specifically, \[the\] calculations reveal a 70 percent reduction in youth crime among children who obtained citizenship because of the reform. Altogether, these > findings suggest that inclusive citizenship policies can reduce crime and its associated costs, which could strengthen social cohesion. Moreover, other research has shown that the German reform improved the educational outcomes of immigrant children and promoted their social integration. *Cross-posted from* [*Substack*](https://jeffreymiron.substack.com/)*.* ##### Related Tags [Immigration](https://www.cato.org/immigration) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).